02:33 - VIGJust sayin' I remember nikarg's Sodom review on the front page, that album was like 30 years old

02:27 - ScreamingSteelUSTechnically, Che's Manunkind review was too old to be featured on the front page. That was a special exception; usually, we prefer to keep our reviews within three-to-four months, with six months as an absolute cutoff.

02:14 - VIG@Radu Of course! I don't think it's too old to be featured on the front page. Look at Che's Manunkind review

00:09 - RaduPPublished a review for an album that's a bit too old to be featured on the front page, but you guys will read it, right? [link]

With Hammerfall he has sold over one million albums, received two gold albums and been nominated for three Grammy awards. Now he has gathered some of the best metal musicians in the world to create something darker, heavier and more mature.

Lyon, France, January 2003: Hammerfall vocalist Joacim Cans is in a very bad mood, alone in his hotel room. His band mates are out celebrating another successful show, but Joacim has to keep his voice fit. "In my next life I´m gonna be a bloody bass player so I can party on tour" he complains. Suddenly the bored Swede gets an idea with a capital I and in that single night he completes the basic plans for what is to become his first solo album. For it is not only at nights like this that Joacim gets bored.
When Hammerfall is not touring he has even more spare time and there are things he has been longing to do that would never work in his main band.
Hammerfall is a trademark that represents a very specific style of music, that´s just the way it is says Joacim one year later. That was mainly why I wanted to do this album to be able to try some fresh ideas and not be locked into a certain way of writing. Joacim asked some of his personal heroes to contribute riffs and ideas. Jeff Waters (Annihilator), Mat Sinner (Primal Fear, Sinner), David Chastain (CJSS), Ronny Milianowicz (Dionysus, ex-Sinergy), Corbin King and Metal Mike Chlasciak (Halford) were told that the songs should be dark and slightly progressive, yet still melodic. Soon Joacims mailbox was flooded with riff tapes, and he threw away everything too happy, too straightforward or too reminiscent of Hammerfall, only keeping the darkest and heaviest material. Around the same time, the band Cans was put together.
I didn´t want to invite a bunch of guest musicians explains the vocalist. There are already too many albums like that. Since a lot of different song writers were involved, I wanted to get a genuine band feeling to the album. Even if the songs are a bit different, Mark Zonder is always gonna play drums like Mark Zonder, y´know? I wanted everything to pull in the same direction. And it does just that. Beyond the Gates manages to combine the voice and melodies that made Joacim famous with a heaviness and darkness he has never been close to before. Beyond the Gates is the Noise International top priority release for early 2004. A very high profile promo video for the track Red Light will be released to European TV stations before the release date this spring and the band will be performing live at several big metal festivals throughout the summer.
The Band is: